Customer Reviews

Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been designing and building straw houses for a decade now, as well as teaching others how to do it. Across that time there have been a small handful of books on straw construction, each a great contribution in its time. But now we have what I feel is the book we have been waiting for: solid information in a well written format.

The authors are experienced builders with a common sense, grounded approach. Where most of the earlier books were coming out of the desert South West, this book specifically looks at the detailing needed in the colder and wetter parts of the world.

A wonderful contribution to the growing field of natural building. I recommend this book highly.

This book now rockets into the forefront as the most complete straw bale book. It seems pretty much to be all here: Interested in mud floors - got it; Interested in earth plaster - It's here too. All the main building subjects are covered, often exhaustively. Once one strays from the 2x4 and block foundation, into alternative building, there are by definition a lot of options. There isn't a standard set of details yet for bales, which partially accounts for the length of the book.

The authors come from the enviro alternatives camp, but they aren't romantic about it. Expect some well deserved skepticism about the virtues of Nebraska style load-bearing walls in cold climates. On the other hand they leave the decision up to you. After spending 12 pages telling you why you might not want to build load bearing walls, they spend 22 more pages telling you how to do it (not to mention the countless other pages devoted to related topics).

This book covers the subject of framed straw bale walls more completely than any other thus far. This is an important addition to the literature. While the authors are driven in this direction by the realities of snow loads that are not experienced by all, those who live in wet climates, or wish to build multi-story houses will find much of use here also.

I am a construction manager (trained as an architect) working in more conventional styles of construction but I am itching to get more involved with alternative building systems. Straw bale has caught my attention and imagination for many years but the lack of information on damp climate straw bale construction has made me very hesitant to do more than read about it. This is a witty, candid look at the issues that must be considered if building with bales in a damp climate. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more illustrations of building details- many concepts described could have been made clearer with more illustrations and many other concepts that I wanted to see clearly addressed were only skimmed over (such as what to do where the bale wall meets the roof and what are the recommended methods of firestopping). Overall, it is a very valuable resource but there is room for more information in a second edition!

As someone who's been considering building straw bale in the Northeast for over a year now, I've never been been able to find a resource that deals in detail with the special considerations of construction in cold and wet climates.

Well, it's finally here. This book is as complete in its considerations, with a lot of updated details, as the original The Straw Bale Home by Athena and Bill Steen.

However, be forwarned, the authors admit that while successful buildings have been built (the oldest is the Hay House in CT - 25 years), there are risks and no one method is foolproof.

They talk about the specific construction detailing techniques required to avoid moisture problems and offer a number of case studies that point out both successes and pitfalls.

This book is a must read for anyone considering such a undertaking - it has made me think carefully about my intentions.

As the other reviews say, this is a great read for those interested in straw baling. I especially liked how the authors are balanced with their approach to straw bale: they tell you the good and the bad, and are conservative about what straw can do given its limited history. I feel much more confident knowing that they're not just trying to sell the idea, but are really attempting to spread their knowledge and experience on the subject.

I was a bit disappointed with lack of information on climates other than the cold and wet Northeast. (I'm hoping to eventually build in the hot dry San Joaquin Valley of California.) The subtitle seems to be written by an editor in an attempt to sell more copies. Unlike other construction books I've seen which weigh different weather needs across the country or the continent with descriptions and maps, this focuses on New England and Eastern Canada. This focus is fine, of course, but only if the book is initially presented as such.

Lots of information on many aspects of straw bale building but appears to be more of a book for a trained builder. At 373 pages it can get very technical at times so while you will learn a lot about building this book will be too deep for the casual reader just curious about the possibility of building. A casual reader would like more diagrams than he or she will find here.

I recommend this book with certain caveats. There is certainly some good information in the book and led me to some ideas that never occurred to me before, but the information is uneven, more than a little poorly organized and requires the reader to make some connections to pull the whole together.

The authors give an overview of many ways to do things, but almost never come to any conclusions on how things should be done. Many systems are discussed, some in detail and some not. The interactions of these systems the readers are considering should be explored as well as certain combinations are sure to cause problems in construction or in the life of the building. Of course as the authors note many times this style of construction is experimental and that is half the fun but I am buying the book to get the benefit of others experience.

The authors' ideology is evident in many parts, as well as an assumption that their readers have similar opinions. This can get a little annoying as they wax rhapsodic about the spiritual connections to the materials and decry modern industrial techniques. In some cases they probably make good points, but for those to whom straw bales are a means to an end- comfortable, efficient and non-toxic housing- space in the book would be better reserved for technical opinions than spiritual ones. Thankfully they do everyone a great service by disabusing fellow travelers of a few romantic illusions about straw bale and other edgy building techniques.

Illustrations in the book are an annoying aspect. Some are good and clearly depict what the authors words have trouble with. Other times they will start talking about a technique without defining it, or when they did define it I found my self wishing they just gave me a good picture.In a few cases, they give a picture, they give a discription, but are missing a label or other indicator that would easily tie it together and make sense. A well detailed sketch is worth at least a page of prose.

Finally for a book that extols the beauty of bale construction, they would do well to get a better photographer to do their pictures. Most of the photos in the book are awful and if readers are not already familiar with some bale buildings they may be more scared than attracted. One might get the idea that bale buildings are dark, dingy, dreary and populated by scary strange people. They are not (usually).

Sadly, this book is more useful than most on the subject of straw bales. If you are considering working with bales, I would recommend this book before starting any project... just don't let the pictures scare you away.

In the growing field of straw bale construction this book separates the wheat from the chaff. The authors offer in-depth information based on in-depth experience. If you're serious about building with straw this is the book to get. If you're building with straw in a cold climate this book is essential.

This book goes beyond SERIOUS straw bale- I found it downright witty at times. The many aspects of designing a straw bale house are presented candidly in an easy to read format, even for the novice balehead. We know the look and feel of a straw bale home is unparelleled, but this book takes a closer look at the challenges and decisions the builders had to make in the designing of their houses and buildings. I found this book insightful and informative. The more I read, the more excited I became to build my own straw bale house. I'm sure this book will elicit the same excitement about straw bales in you as it did in me and my husband.

In my everlasting search for practical informations on natural housing techniques I had not to this day encountered a book so complete on the different aspects of straw bale construction adapted to cold climates. This well written and illustrated survey brings me confidently into a third millenium level of knowledge. I highly recommend it to all those who needed a big shot of confidence in that new style of home design. I am just a prospective home-owner but my guess is that with its detailed approach this book will be of high interest for all the professionals involved in home design and construction as well.